Loving this look - Brody Dalle by way of Pixiwoo

I saw this look as done by Pixiwoo's Sam Chapman and really loved it: http://youtu.be/MqNOcUoqA2I . I like that it isn't too done, and messy application is something I can hope to achieve ;)

I've adopted a toned-down version using my Viseart palette - middle row right shade (slightly yellowed mid-brown) all over the lid, well into crease and under eyes, bottom row right (darker chestnut brown) along lashline, outer v of mobile lid and blended underneath. I used Rouge Bunny Rouge black kohl pencil for the liner - I really like how concentrating the liner on the outer half of the upper and lower lash line seems to elongate the eyes. I also like a warmer version using the two middle row left shades instead.

I've enjoyed stepping out of my usual tasteful taupe comfort zone, and I like a version of a messy rock look that doesn't rely on a ton of black shadow. I am not feeling the spring pastel collections at all this year, and this morning-after-the-night-before look is more in tune with my general mood. Taking shadow this far under the eye can make you look a bit tired, but that's all part of the effect; I'd rather fake looking like I've stayed up all night than actually do it nowadays!

Haus of Gloi Valentine's Collection

Haus of Gloi Valentine's Collection is out now - a couple of the Pumpkin Butters have already sold out, but should be restocked quite quickly.

I liked Come Hither in the Pumpkin Butter last year - my review is here: Haus of Gloi Come Hither review. This has been slightly reformulated this year without the cardamom. I quite liked the spicy undertone, so I'm interested to see how it smells without it.

I also ended up buying and liking Who Needs Love in the Bubbling Scrub last year - the combination of fruity sweetness with the dark chocolate/coffee blend worked well in the scrub.

New scents this year are:

Odette  - sun dried linens, tuberose, white ginger and musk - this will probably be a pass for me; tuberose and sandalwood are my fragrance kryptonites. The notes of this make me think it'd be something like Milkmaid from last spring crossed with Narcosa from last summer, so if you liked either of those, this may be worth trying.

Spring Tonic 1 - lemon, lime, parsley and dandelion greens.

Spring Tonic 2 - cucumber, parsley and dandelion greens.

The Spring Tonic scents sound like the best substitutes for Something Hopeful from last year that sadly doesn't seem to have made the cut this year (Something Hopeful was a sakura/green tea/jasmine blend.)

Jo Malone Vitamin E Moisturising Day Creme

I was sent this recently and I can't do a proper review of it yet as I like to use skincare for a month or so before doing so.   This is an 'initial thoughts' kind of post, together with a picture of the ingredients list for anyone who'd like to know what is in it before they buy it.

The Jo Malone Vitamin E Moisturising Day Creme has an spf 15, and is a whipped cream texture. It sinks in quickly and leaves my normal to dry skin feeling comfortable. I think normal to dry skin is the best fit for this cream; a normal/combination/oily skin would most likely find this too rich, and I'd recommend the Apivita Wine Elixir I reviewed last week for a really dry skin. I couldn't wear this in the summer, but I avoid vitamin E products in the summer anyway as they are too rich for my skin in warmer weather.

This is a silicone-heavy formulation (dimethicone is the third ingredient.) It doesn't have the velvet primer feeling of some silicone-heavy creams, but it leaves a dryish glide to the skin after application. I've found it's very good for using as my moisturiser before applying Suqqu Frame Fix Cream Foundation - it gives just enough slip for the Suqqu to blend easily.

As well as the wheatgerm common to the vitamin E range, this cream contains a number of botanical ingredients and caffeine. It smells like the rest of the vitamin E range; there's something in there to lightly mask the wheatgerm smell but it doesn't smell perfumed.

It costs £50, which is in the usual Jo Malone skincare price bracket, and comparable to the Sarah Chapman Skinesis Dynamic Defence cream I use and like. If I don't experience problems with the silicones in the formula after continued use, I'd consider making this my winter day cream.

Ingredients: 

Disclosure: product provided without charge for review.

Xbox Live hacked - protect your account

I know this isn't part of the usual London Makeup Girl blogging schedule, but on the basis that some of you may have an Xbox Live account or know someone else who has one, I'm putting this post up.

Mr London had his Xbox Live account hacked last night. He didn't fall for any phishing scams, and hadn't given out his password anywhere. The first he knew of it was when he received an email from Xbox Live (which he didn't even open) in chinese characters, saying he'd added another email to his account, and another email saying that his attempted purchase (well, not actually his attempted purchase) of 6000 MS points had failed.

Luckily, the credit card attached to his account had expired and he'd never linked his Paypal to it. He did lose 2000 MS points he had on the account though, and an internet search of this problem reveals it is anyone's guess when he might get this back - he's reported it to Xbox, who have frozen his profile pending investigation. The hack happened just before their support phone line closed for the evening, so the points have probably already been spent.

A quick google revealed that this appears to be caused by a brute force hack of the XBox Live login, which is set up in a way that allows this exploitation:

1. It gives a different error message if you enter an incorrect password as opposed to an invalid email (which tells the hackers there is an account attached to a particular email).
2. It allows unlimited attempts to login, without freezing the account (which allows brute force hacks - a computer programme entering many thousands of different passwords until the programme hits the right one). 
3. An additional email account can be added without requiring verification from the main email account on the account. 

Microsoft continues to maintain their security hasn't been compromised, despite lots of complaints about this happening to different users. If you have an account, or know someone else who has, make sure you have a strong password on it - preferably not a real word, and a combo of alpha and numeric characters. Most importantly, remove your paypal and credit card details from your account, and don't leave unused points on it.

You can also set up your account so that you need a passcode every time you go on Xbox Live, separate from the password. Hackers could probably brute force that too, but it just makes it a bit more difficult for them.

Apivita Wine Elixir Day Cream spf 15 review

The Wine Elixir range is one of Apivita's skincare ranges designed to support ageing skin. Apivita is a Greek brand that uses a high percentage of natural ingredients and avoids silicones, mineral oil, parabens, propylene glycol and phthalates.  I've bought and liked Apivita products before, so I was happy to try some other products when I was given the opportunity to be sent them for review.

This cream is too rich for my skin except in extremely cold weather, and resulted in a few clogged pores on my chin and forehead (a sure sign of a cream that's too rich for my skin) when I was using it in milder weather before Christmas. When the weather turned colder and windier over the last couple of weeks I pulled it out again and have had no clogged pores, so I'd say it's best for really cold weather or very dry skin. My skin isn't mature enough to need this on a regular basis and does better with the Apivita First Line Day Cream I bought last year. If your skin is much drier or has more ageing concerns, this would be a good day cream to try from an excellent skincare brand. Like the First Line Day Cream, the Wine Elixir Cream does have quite a perfumed smell from the essential oil blend used in it.

Ingredients:

Available directly from the Greek website: www.apivita.com. I ordered from here last year and received my order quickly without any problems.

Disclosure: product provided without charge for review.

Monica Vinader Nugget rings

sorry, hands could REALLY have used moisturising before photographing

This Monica Vinader stacking ring combo (a Large Nugget Ring in smoky quartz and a Small Nugget Ring in moonstone) is brought to you by the very finest Girls Shopping Maths Logic. I bought the Large Nugget ring in the Monica Vinader sale, where I got it for 50% off. You all know where this is going, right? With the money I saved I bought the Small Nugget ring.

I wanted to give a quick head's up that this particular ring does seem to come up quite generously on the sizes. I ordered M - my ring finger is an L, and my middle finger is generally about an M to N, and the size M in the Nugget ring (both sizes, but more on the Large one) feels more like an N1/2 to me. I think it is because the gem is raised from the ring in an open setting to allow stacking more easily, which results in a bit more 'give' in the ring - see the picture below. I ordered the Large Nugget online and took it into the Monica Vinader shop on South Molton Street to check I hadn't accidentally been sent a size P (I hadn't). I could easily wear the size K on my ring finger, so it is worth bearing this in mind when ordering this particular style online, or ideally trying them for size in a shop first.

side view 

The Large Nugget is very large, and I think the Small Nugget is probably more practical; the Small Nugget can also be stacked with the Luna (round) and Candy (oval) rings. The Smoky Quartz Nugget rings are sold out in the sale, but there are some orange-red Carnelian Nugget rings still available at half price.

Tom Ford Nail Lacquer in Viper

Let's talk about the price of these first - this nail polish costs £25. It's £4 more expensive than the By Terry Nail Laque Terrybly (dreadful, dreadful name) and it will cost you £7.50 more than a nail varnish from Chanel. But... I love a lot of the Tom Ford cosmetics, so I wanted one of the nail polishes. I can't say that it's a must-buy-worth-£25-your-life-won't-be-complete-if-you-don't-have-this purchase for everyone, but Mr Ford has, in my opinion, made a bloody good nail polish and I'm glad I bought it.

The picture below best shows the colour and finish you'll see most often with this nailpolish. A glossy, dark, dark violet, the finish is somewhere between a jelly and a cream. The finish reminds me a lot of NARS Zulu, although Viper is less streaky - I only needed two coats of Viper, and NARS Zulu is a three coater. 

The picture below was taken in strong sunlight to show the undertone better - Viper is a clear violet with no brown tones. I've become fonder of the violet tones recently (lips, nails, hair) - I've discovered they are quite flattering against my green-olive skin tone.

Application was also very good - the square lid lifts off and there is a round brush handle underneath it. The neck of the bottle is quite long which means that excess polish can be wiped off the brush without getting on the outside of the neck. The brush itself is well-designed; slightly narrower than the OPI pro, beautifully cut to give a clean finish.

Beauty Spotlight weekly round up 21 January

This week the Beauty Spotlight Team previews Spring makeup collections, finds some must-have drugstore treasures, keeps your hair looking great and one member channels her inner Supermodel for a day!

Marcia from Beauty Info Zone continued her search for L'Oreal Infallible eyeshadows and found more to love.

Little cat paw print embossed lipsticks, now what could be more fun… Visionary Beauty shares the lipsticks from the cat themed Paul & Joe collection for Spring.

At Everyday Beauty, Zuzu's Petals dishes about beauty and the aging process.

Modesty Brown reviews the L'Oreal Super Liner in Black Amethyst. It might be designed for hazel eyes but this pretty liner is sure to appeal to purple fans no matter what their eye colour.

Guarantee yourself a good hair day! Pammy Blogs Beauty loves No 4 High Performance Hair Care's Lumiere d'hiver Reconstructing Masque.

Lisamarie from Beauty Crazed starts swatching the OPI Holland collection - wooden shoe like to see it?

Then check it out! Over at Pretty in Dayton, it's Story Time! A Fairy Tail come true - Styrch makes a surprising transition from "customer" to "model" for Sittella, by Althea Harper

Paula, from Older Girl Beauty, shows us one of her foreign beauty faves - this time it's Hissyfit Body Double Sunscreen Lotion from Australia.

Perilously Pale finally satisfied her craving for Fyrinnae and shares with us her first set of swatches of the incredible eyeshadows!

At Lipstick Musings, Shannon's falling in love with Laura Mercier all over again, all because of Shimmerplum Sequin Eye Color.

Prime Beauty fell hard for the Burberry Spring/Summer Collection, a beautiful assortment of neutral and brights perfect for the over 40 woman!

A stain that's glossy? Isn't that an oxymoron? Londonmakeupgirl sees if YSL has managed to make it a reality, when she buys a YSL Glossy Stain.

Viseart Basic Eyeshadow Palette

Matte. Neutral. Eyeshadow. Heaven. This a palette of 12 neutral mattes from bone to black and all the neutrals you could wish for in between.

I bought this because Olivia told me I really, really needed it. (Click on the link for pictures of swatches of the colours on her skin, as well as the reasons why you might need it too.)

The formula looks really basic, but these just work so well. They don't feel dry, they don't look chalky, they blend well and you can build the colours up (even the black and the dark brown) without patchiness. The pressed-ness of the shadows is also perfect - it's easy to pick up colour but not so soft that you get fallout in the pan or on the face/eye.

The two left hand shades in the top row make good neutral blushes for me too. The other good thing about these is that the browns don't oxidise or turn orange on my skin (the two middle shades in middle row are more red-based, so they do apply as warm colours, but the neutral and grey-browns stay neutral and cool.)

If you are looking for a complete spectrum of basic matte shades, this palette would be extremely hard to beat. I bought mine from www.theneatkit.com and it cost me £46 (I'm not a MakeUp Artist, so don't qualify for the MUA discount shown on the catalogue.) The only other possible UK stockist is www.preciousaboutmakeup.com who have a Viseart Basic Eyeshadow palette on sale for £60, but they don't show a picture and describe it as shimmer, so I'd shoot them an email or ring before buying sight unseen.

YSL Glossy Stain 01 Violet Edition

There has been a bit of buzz about the new YSL Glossy Stains on the internet. BritishBeautyBlogger wrote about them in November, the Beaut.ie girls are a little bit keen on them and Kate at Drivel about Frivol (love this blog name) has swatches of all the shades. These are a lipstick/gloss/stain hybrid and the idea is that they wear as long as a stain while giving a glossy finish. At the moment they are only available from Selfridges and on the www.yslbeauty.co.uk website in the UK, although they'll be launched at counter nationwide in February.

The finish of the YSL Glossy Stains reminds me of the Lip Ink system (I reviewed that here: Lip Ink Fire Red) except that the clever folks at YSL have got the stain and the glossy top coat all combined in one tube.

One coat gives an even stain with glossiness that lasts a good couple of hours. The stain remains after the glossiness has faded, although it looks less vivid without the sheen of the gloss, and it has faded considerably after three hours of wear (see my pictures below.) Reapplying to refresh the glossiness builds up colour, which is fine if you want to build up colour but not so good if you just want to refresh the glossiness although you could just use a clear gloss to do that.

Adding a second coat intensifies the colour density and glossiness, although to me it feels uncomfortably gloopy and I'm happier at one coat (I almost never wear lipglosses because I can't stand the sticky feel of them though, so it's worth taking that into account.) These are sticker than Chanel Rouge Allure Laques or Beaute Weightless Lip Cremes, but they are a different and glossier finish, and do tend to wear a little better in my opinion.

The delivery system is quite alcohol based (also like the Lip Ink) and you can feel the alcohol when you first apply it. The new, whizzy, wand applicator thing is actually quite good, although I do find it can deposit too much colour at the edges of my lip, which I need to blend down with a fingertip or separate lipgloss. Glossy Stains have the same perfumed rose scent of the Rouge Pur Couture lipsticks.

I bought 01 Violet Edition, which is a plum shade that's very slightly to the violet rather than brown side of plum to my eye. There are 20 colours in total, from nude to red and most shades you'd expect to find in a lipstick range.

Picture with one coat applied:

Second coat applied. It's not much deeper or darker, but it is more intense and glossier (and stickier.) 

One coat after 3 hours, a cup of tea and breakfast (complete with stray hair.) There is still colour, but the glossiness is gone and the colour faded. If you eat or drink, don't expect it to look like picture one for more than an hour or two. It hasn't dried out my lips though, and it has left a stain (my lips fade into my skintone when bare.) 

Picture in context of the rest of my face (with one coat freshly applied.) 

I do like the look and feel of (one coat) of the Glossy Stain, and I love the colour I bought. I will wait for a couple of weeks before buying others to check that the formula doesn't dry out my lips, but I'm quite hopeful as it hasn't so far with 5 hours of wear and one reapplication (I usually know almost straight away if a lipstick is going to bother my lips) and Kate at Drivel about Frivol has reported they don't dry her lips out with more continuous wear (she also has sensitive, dry, reactive lips.)

Beauty Spotlight Mystery Makeup Bag

We're starting off the Beauty Spotlight Mystery Makeup Bag posts again this year with Periously Pale. Click on the bag to find out what our porcelain skinned redheaded friend has in her bag...

MAC Powerpoint Pencil in Buried Treasure

MAC can annoy me no end with the constant whirl of limited edition collections, but they do have some great products hidden in the core range. This eye pencil is one of them. Buried Treasure is a black/brown with subtle gold shimmer - it's softer than a straight black but a little more interesting and brightening than a plain brown eyeliner. The Powerpoint formula does wear better than most pencil eyeliner formulas but if you want to smudge it you need to work quickly; after a minute or two it sets and won't move without eye makeup remover.

Close up of colour:

Swatch:

The formula reminds me of the GOSH Velvet Touch pencils, although there isn't a very similar colour in that range (the closest is Golden Moss, which is lighter and greener than Buried Treasure).

The MAC Powerpoint Pencils are £13 each.

Book review: Kresley Cole Lothaire

One of my very guilty pleasures is a genre of books that Mr London refers to as 'para-porn' (AKA Twilight with rutting.)

Kresley Cole is one of my favourite paranormal romance writers. Her Immortals After Dark series is unlikely to win prizes for literature, but it's entertaining and hot, and the female characters aren't the usual 'fragile flowers who must be protected' who annoy me no end.

Lothaire is the 10th full length novel in the series, and probably the best yet. Lothaire the vampire (also known as the Enemy of Old) is a bad vampire. He is an outcast who will stop at nothing to capture the two vampire thrones of his dead parents.

All vampires have a Bride; a female who will reawaken their hearts and manly parts, etc etc. Lothaire discovers to his disgust that his is a young mortal from a poor mining family in the Appalachian Mountains, but then discover that the mortal, Elizabeth, is possessed by a blood demon called Saroya (think Kali on a bad day). He plots to destroy the mortal's soul to enable Saroya, a truly fitting Bride, to take over her form and rule by his side.

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Yes, of COURSE the human Ellie is his real Bride, and obviously, he also finds a way to get rid of the demon Saroya once he realises this - otherwise the HEA would be a TEA (tragic ever after.) What I love about this book though, is that Lothaire in love is still a selfish, manipulative asshole. A hot manipulative asshole, but an asshole, nonetheless. The rutting scenes are also very hot indeed. Kresley Cole manages to make Ellie's decision to use her feminine wiles on Lothaire not only believable but logical. She also uses a pre-existing plot line from a previous book to give them their immortal HEA, and not a complete deus ex machina.

I read the Kindle version which was released on Amazon.co.uk yesterday. The Hardback isn't out until 19 January, but Amazon are selling it for £6.99 so no need to wait for the paperback.

If you like JR Ward, Sherrilyn Kenyon, Christine Feehan etc, then I'd definitely recommend Kresley Cole. I didn't buy the first Immortals After Dark book (A Hunger Like No Other) for ages because the cover seemed a bit tacky (really) but once I'd read it I was hooked on the series.

intensifying rms Beauty cream eyeshadow using an eye pencil - video

I love the rms Beauty cream eyeshadows, but sometimes I feel I need a little extra definition with them. I find I get the best result from applying a pencil eyeliner before I apply the rms Beauty. I like to apply eyeliner and smudge it out before applying eyeshadow anyway; I find it gives softer definition than applying after eyeshadow and it also acts as a base for the eyeshadow.

Here's a video showing how I like to use the rms Beauty cream eyeshadow with an eyeliner. I also show how I apply the W3LL Narcissist concealer/foundation and rms Beauty Living Luminizer.

Products used:

W3LL People Narcissist in #1
Tom Ford Brow Sculptor in Taupe
Tom Ford Eye Defining Pencil in Espresso
rms Beauty Cream Eyeshadow in Magnetic
rms Beauty Living Luminizer

Beauty Spotlight weekly round up 07 January

Happy 2012 everyone. Are you making any resolutions? The Beauty Spotlight Team has made a resolution to do our very best to keep you all informed of the latest & greatest or the tried & true in this new year. And we keep our resolutions!




Tired of constantly reapplying your lipstick? Then a lip stain may be your new best friend! Check out what Lisamarie from Beauty Crazed thinks are the top picks! It's a brand new year and time to make resolutions.

One beauty resolution that some of us need to make is to keep our brows well groomed. Beauty Info Zone has the answer with Youngblood Brow Artiste. Start your brows off right for 2012.

At Everyday Beauty, Zuzu's Petals opined about the sweaty side of beauty.

Are you suffering from the dreaded "winter hands syndrome"? Shannon at Lipstick Musings was...until she discovered a cult favorite from Dior that gave her "just-manicured" hands every day!

London Makeup Girl reviews Chantecaille Violetta Lip Chic and compares it to another sheer berry lipstick in her stash. Which does she prefer? Find out here: London Makeup Girl Chantecaille Violetta.

This week Modesty Brown shares her thoughts on beauty awards perennial favourite, YSL Touche Éclat. It's a product that divides opinion, which side are you on?

Paula, from Older Girl Beauty, shows us Maybelline's latest eyeshadows, the "Color Tattoo 24hr Cream Eyeshadow" that comes out this month in the US. Don't ya'll just love all these new 2012 product releases!


Pammy Blogs Beautysure does as she tests out Laura Geller's new 2012 release: The Inkwell Waterproof Gel Liner Duo. Find out what she thought!

Perilously Pale shows us why she thinks the Horizon de Chanel Blush from the Spring 2012 collection is worth the hype and compares it to other pink blushes in her stash. I

In true "year confusion" manner, Styrch at Pretty in Dayton posted about what she'll remember most about 2011, only she called it "2012" at the time. Don't worry. She's been corrected.

You HAVE to check out Prime Beauty's Top 10 Beauty Products for 2011--these aren't just favorites, they are game-changers!

As we look towards spring, Visionary Beauty shows us some wearable lip colours from the By Terry shimmer fantasy collection, just right for the coming season.

Chantecaille Violetta Lip Chic swatches and comparisons

I received a Chantecaille Violetta Lip Chic in my christmas stocking this year. The Lip Chics are glossy, but not really very sheer - they're like a lipstick with the white opaque pigment base taken out and replaced with a translucent gel-gloss base. These are very comfortable, hydrating lipsticks, although they do need to be reapplied quite frequently. 

Violetta was released in Autumn 2011 with Calla Lily, and is a cool violet pink. 

Applied on my lips:

Full face picture:

Here is a swatch to compare it with Calla Lily, which is a warmer brick red shade. Calla Lily on left, Violetta on right. 

The tone of Violetta reminded me of my Ilia Beauty lipstick in Arabian Knights - my full post on this is here: Ilia Beauty review. I swatched the two side by side, and Arabian Knights (left) is similar in tone, although the swatch appears sheerer than Violetta (right). This swatch of Violetta is heavier than the ones above; it's a soft lipstick and distressingly easy to smush too much on!

Although the swatch is sheerer, I find the Ilia Pure Arabian Knights to be reasonably buildable, and the effect when worn (below) is quite similar. I also find the colour of the Ilia Pure lasts longer as it gently stains the lip. 

Chantecaille Violetta is beautiful and the Lip Chic is a lovely formulation. If you only need one sheer berry lip tint, I would recommend the Ilia Beauty Arabian Knights though. I slightly prefer the formula and smell of the Ilia Beauty, and it isn't as soft as the Lip Chics.

Chantecaille is available from Fenwicks and Space NK, Ilia Beauty is available from www.MiseBeauty.com and www.BeingContent.com.

Genki Haramaki

I blogged in October about the Nutribeauty launch event I attended, and mentioned that I bought a couple of the Genki Haramakis I saw there.

Haramakis are traditional Japanese garments worn around the abdomen to maintain warmth. I've been wearing them almost constantly since I've bought them (I have washed them a few times, honest, and resented the time waiting for them to dry). These bands of doubled over ribbed stretchy cotton may not look like much, but I wouldn't be without them and I'm about to order a few more.

I can't bear the cold. I'm also quite tall (5ft 7) and I don't like high waisted trousers or any kind of fasteners near my tummy button. Consequently, I have to look for longer tops or risk a gap whenever I bend over. These haramakis have solved that problem completely. They fit closely enough to wear underneath clothes comfortably but they aren't too tight (I could wear them over Christmas with no problem) and they reach from my low hip to tummy button. They keep my core warm and comfortable, and the gentle support is extremely helpful for good posture.

They may also help to support the tummy during and after pregnancy and the gentle constant pressure may be helpful for period pains. I've certainly found it comforting during that slightly bloaty time of the month and during my actual period; I don't have particularly painful ones, but I generally am uncomfortably aware during the first couple of days that it is that time of the month - it might be psychosomatic, but I haven't had uncomfy days wearing these. Obviously, I'm not a doctor and I wouldn't suggest just bunging one of these on if you have strong pains during pregnancy or periods (go to your doctor!) but I've found them helpful for period ache and I'd recommend them as a nice gift for a pregnant friend. If you hate having a cold back, I'd definitely recommend them.

These are £20 each so they aren't cheap, but I wouldn't be without mine and I'm glad I spent the £40 on them - they allow me a much wider range of tops to wear in the winter and are almost worth the price just for that. Available from www.nutribeautyproducts.com.

W3LL People Face of the Day

Mr London and I celebrated New Year's Eve with several a couple of glasses of fizzy wine and a DVD*, so consequently I feel fine this morning. For those of you who are feeling (and perhaps looking) a little under the weather, I have some nice bits from W3LL People to suggest. I've had these PR samples and have been meaning to review/picture them for a while and New Year seems like a good time to write about toxin-free beauty products.

Left to right: Purist blush in 65, Nudist lipshine in 8, Elitist eyeshadows in 816 and 817.

Purist Luminous Mineral Blush 65 is a pale lavender pink with subtle sheen. It's perfect if you're feeling a bit sallow, and a good choice for a pale skin looking for a subtle blush.

Elitist Matte Mineral Eyeshadow 817 is a blackened purple that leans towards blue rather than red. I like it as an eyeliner, which is how I'm wearing it in these photos. I've used it all over for a smoky eye too (I'd recommend holding a tissue under the eye for this though, as dark loose mineral eyeshadows do tend to drop underneath the eyes for me if I'm using them liberally.)

Elitist Matte Mineral Eyeshadow 816 is a neutral sand beige. It is only a hair darker than my NC20 skin, and so mostly evens out my lids and gives a polished appearance. I've applied it over my lid and just past my crease in these photos.

Nudist Lip Shine 8 is a candy pink on my lips - if your lips have normal/less blue colouration, you may find it appears deeper and brighter on you.

All together (and blush). I'm also wearing the W3LL Narcissist foundation/concealer stick in 1 under my eyes and around my nose (purchased myself).

W3LL People products are available directly from the US website www.w3llpeople.com. They have started to sell samples of their products for $1.50, which is good if you are unsure about ordering colours online (and particularly helpful when choosing foundation.)  They do ship to the UK (there's a flat shipping rate of $15.)  If you would prefer to purchase from within the UK/Ireland to avoid potential customs charges, some of the products are available at www.misebeauty.com and www.beingcontent.com.

Disclosure: PR samples (apart from Narcissist, as noted.)

*We watched Green Street. The only thing less convincing than Frodo Baggins as a football hooligan was Charlie Hunnam's cockney accent. Worse than Dick Van Dyke.

Happy New Year!